


Detective Prince(s)

by MeltyRum



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22337035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyRum/pseuds/MeltyRum
Summary: As Naoto claws her way closer to the truth, Akechi tries to deliver her a subtle warning.
Kudos: 18
Collections: Boku no Hero Academia x Persona





	Detective Prince(s)

Naoto wasn’t the type to sleep in the station, but on this morning she had arrived early enough that she almost might as well have. The conference room—which she had been lucky enough not to be kicked out of just yet—had grown dense with paper, and she had even rolled in a secondary white board. Her usual thoughtful organization scheme, while still present, had been somewhat sullied by a veneer of awkwardly piled documents and a haphazard array of sticky notes.

While she wasn’t out of leads, the—as it felt to her—glacial progress she made on this case was beginning to frustrate her. The last thing she needed was a bout of restlessness to lead her astray, however, and she did her best to remind herself that patience would be key here, even if time was not necessarily on her side. She knew it was slightly presumptuous, but her bones told her that the Sanada line was the correct one. Considering what she had learned from Jean, almost everything pointed toward the culprit being one of Sanada’s freelancers.

If only she could get her hands on one of them, she thought.

No doubt there were a number of leads she could follow on that, as well. One of them was almost only rumor, but… it couldn’t hurt to look into.

So when she looked up from her scratch pad to see none other than Goro Akechi making his way to his desk, Naoto decided there was no reason to let this opportunity go to waste. Rising from her seat, she left her messy conference room and made to intercept him.

“No class this morning, Akechi-san?” she asked, just as he was about to sit down.

A pair of blinks told her that he was unprepared for social engagement—let alone with her. “Ah, Shirogane-san,” he said, with his usual talk show smile. “No, no classes until this afternoon, so I thought I would get my tasks in order. But I can’t imagine you came just to ask me about school. Is there something I can help you with?”

She nodded, inwardly pleased that he got right to business. “As a matter of fact, you’re right: I was hoping to get some help from you, Akechi-san.”

“Help?” he started, glancing to the conference room she called home. “With the case you’re currently working on?”

“Yes. I have been informed that the Phantoms—particularly you, I imagine—have taken an interest in the Makimura case. While I do not believe it’s directly connected to my investigation, I was hoping to ask you some questions about it, just in case.” She paused briefly, deciding it would be fine to mention the rest. “It may or may not have to do with Ryo Asuka, who I know you’ve met.”

“Asuka-san, is it?” asked Akechi, looking as though the situation was becoming clearer to him. He put his knuckles to his chin, taking a moment to ponder Naoto’s request. “I understand. Unfortunately, I’ve had quite a lot on my plate that _isn’t_ the Makimura case, so most of the details won’t be fresh to me. However, the hero Joker has been consulting on it for the duration of the Phantoms’—as you say—interest in the case.”

Akechi started to fiddle around with the objects on his desk until he located a pen, with which he started jotting down some notes. “I can give you his information,” he began. “I would advise that you speak with him, as _he_ certainly hasn’t had much to do lately,” he added with a chuckle, “and I am positive that he would be more helpful than I. Naturally, if you want information on the case itself, it would be best to speak with Suou-san.”

Naoto took the offered memo pad, peering over what Akechi had written down before tearing off the page and pocketing it and handing the pad back to him. “Very well. I will be sure to get in contact with him, although it seems strange to me that you think he could be of more help.”

“Well, I… know how it looks, considering his probation, so perhaps you’re right,” he conceded, with a little nervous laughter. “But even if his license is under suspension, he is still a hero, and I think he could give you a better picture of what we’ve learned so far—and what we suspect.”

Naoto gave him a crisp nod, deciding not to press the issue further. “I understand. Thank you, Akechi-san. If you’ll excuse me…”

“Actually, I was about to go and make some tea. Would you like to join me?”

She stopped short, a little surprised by the invitation.

Apparently sensing her hesitation, Akechi continued with an encouraging smile. “You’ve been spending quite a lot of time in that room. It’s also early, so a drink might do you some good.”

“Right,” admitted Naoto, giving herself a few seconds to consider it. “You’re probably right; it couldn’t hurt to refresh ourselves a little.” She started to follow as Akechi led the way toward the break room. “But I am curious: why tea? I always took you for a coffee drinker, Akechi-san.”

“You’re right, actually,” he replied. “But—at the risk of sounding snobbish—I’m afraid I’ve become a bit spoiled for good coffee, so… when it comes to making beverages here at the station, I find it best to take tea these days.”

“Then perhaps I will do the same. This coffee, then—do you make your own, or would it be Leblanc’s?”

“Ah, you know a lot about me, it seems,” chuckled Akechi. “Yes, that’s precisely it. If you’ve never been, I do recommend it. I’m certain Akira could meet you there, if you asked; it’s one of the few places he can go, in fact.”

“I’ll be sure to ask him,” she assured Akechi, as he led them into the break room and began preparing a few cups.

“Since I have you under the pretense of taking your mind off work… what should we talk about, I wonder? What would be fitting?” Akechi wondered aloud, in a tone of voice that suggested he was coyly trying to lead Naoto to a particular conclusion.

“Fitting?” she asked, propping herself against one wall as she watched him prepare the tea. It wasn’t very difficult to figure out what he wanted to hear; if she didn’t respect him as much as she did, she would have just as soon feigned ignorance. “You mean, what conversation would fit when we have the two ‘Detective Princes’ in the same room?”

“Just so,” said Akechi, looking pleased. “To be honest, I’m curious about that very thing, although it’s probably a question you’ve been asked too many times: why _is_ it that you were referred to as a ‘Detective Prince’?”

“You think ‘princess’ would have been more appropriate?” she asked, smiling.

He laughed. “Well, it’s true that doesn’t seem to match your image. But from what I know of the media, it seems to me that they would have been more than happy to run the ‘princess’ moniker. But it seems they didn’t.”

“No, it seems not,” agreed Naoto, suppressing a sigh. “It’s a bit of a long story, to be honest. The short version is that it simply seemed more convenient to be treated as a male. Back then, most people assumed I was a boy—and I didn’t see any point in correcting them.” There was no use in describing the entire situation to Akechi, she decided—no point in detailing the ways she used to struggle with that sort of thing.

“Is that right?” he asked. He didn’t look at her, but something in his voice informed her that he knew she was withholding the most important parts of the story. “I suppose that’s fair. When you get down to it, the media thrust the moniker onto me without my asking, too.”

“Has it brought you a lot of trouble, Akechi-san?”

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” he said, giving her a smile. “It _has_ given me something to try living up to, after all, and I can’t say that it isn’t flattering to be compared to you.”

Despite herself, she mirrored his amusement. “Likewise, while I had no real investment in the ‘legacy’ of the Detective Prince, it relieves me that it was carried on by someone so capable. And I daresay I never brought the same charisma to the role.”

“In a very real way, I’m sure that is what charmed many people about you, Shirogane-san,” he said, finally combining water with tea. “I can’t imagine that I would have had much success at all, had I tried to emulate your demeanor.”

“With hindsight, I admit it’s a little hard to imagine,” Naoto admitted, taking the cup that he offered her. What she chose _not_ to say was: “But your personality still—sometimes—feels like an act, so I wonder if you wouldn’t be able to surprise me.”

Instead, she added: “Anyway, since I’ve already troubled you for assistance on my case, how are your own assignments going? Anything with which you might need a little help?”

Akechi shook his head, sipping his tea and making a face at the heat of the water. “No, no. Not at all. Everything is proceeding rather smoothly, for the most part. Without giving it away, my assignment doesn’t lend itself well to assistance, for better or worse.” He laughed, spending a moment blowing on his tea. “And I can see you’ve taken on quite the load, yourself. It seems you’re either on the streets or in that conference room. When was the last time you took a day off, Shirogane-san?”

Naoto took a sip of her tea, a little surprised—and suspicious—at the sudden concern. Still, it wasn’t as if his concerns were without basis; she had been spending a _lot_ of time wrapped up in this. The closer she felt the truth was, the less she wanted to slow down. “I’ll admit it’s been a busy handful of days,” she conceded, turning the tea mug in her hands. “But I’m close enough to my mark that I would rather persist. If evidence comes to light that suggests I’m farther than I believe I am, _that_ may be the right time to take a break.”

“That makes sense. Most cases are time-sensitive, and far be it from me to advise you on how to conduct your own investigation… but exhausting yourself brings its own risks—just as moving too deliberately does.”

Naoto stopped short as she was bringing the tea to her lips, electing instead to meet Akechi’s gaze directly. What was this feeling? Akechi’s words came across less as friendly advice and more like a warning. She had some more tea, trying to act natural. Was he _hoping_ for her to ease up on her case? But… for what possible reason? It was hard to imagine anything that Goro Akechi might gain if the progress on her investigation was slowed down. Was she being paranoid?

Naoto sighed. Perhaps she really _should_ take a day for herself.

“Are you alright, Shirogane-san?” asked Akechi. “That was quite the sigh! I promise you I didn’t intend any offense,” he said, wearing his most inoffensive smile.

“No offense taken, Akechi-san. I was simply considering your words.” She took another moment for reflection, before eventually smiling again. “Though I do worry that all my notes might find themselves ‘misplaced’ if I ever decide not to come in. I hate to say it, but I’m sure some of the men don’t appreciate having an entire room taken up with my paperwork.”

“It _is_ quite the luxury,” he agreed, grinning.

“But I will think about what you said. I’m sure Naomasa-san would give me the key, if I asked. To be honest, I probably _should_ be locking it up. Most people don’t have a reason to go in, but—as things stand—the details of my case would be available to anyone.”

“It sounds reckless, when you put it that way. Have you noticed anything go missing, perhaps?”

“No, not at all,” she replied confidently. “I am certain I would have noticed. But… since you ask, I can’t say it’s completely impossible that it will happen in the future.” Of course, the question remained: why? Was there someone in the station who would benefit from sabotaging Naoto’s work? It wasn’t completely unreasonable to think that at least one of the police stationed here was working with a seedier sort: a villain—or one of the yakuza clans, perhaps.

Did Akechi know something she didn’t?  
Or… was it just more paranoia?

Naoto laughed to herself. “Now that you’ve brought it up, I fear I’ve grown anxious to lock my ‘office’. Perhaps I shouldn’t have left it alone.” She slightly lifted her tea in a gesture of gratitude. “I should take my leave, but I appreciate the conversation, Akechi-san—and for your assistance regarding Joker.”

His smile suggested complete understanding. “Of course, Shirogane-san. I’m grateful for your time, as well.Be careful out there!”

She gave him a crisp nod as she turned to go, willing herself not to—again—dig for unspoken meaning in his words. Be careful… of what?


End file.
